What happened
Jönköping District Court has sentenced the owner of a massage parlor to prison and deportation. Masseurs at the parlor worked for up to 155 days in a row without any time off. Incomes were so low that the staff sold sex, reports the newspaper Arbetet.
Our analysis
This ruling shows the darkest downside of the Swedish labor market. When people lack a strong network and a secure position, they are ruthlessly exploited by unscrupulous business owners. The one making the money is the owner, while the employees pay with their health and their dignity.
In the political debate, new Swedes are often singled out as a problem or a burden. At the same time, those in power turn a blind eye to how lawless employers build entire businesses on modern slavery. It is not the workers who threaten the Swedish model. It is the companies that profit from people's vulnerability.
That people can work 155 days in a row without society reacting is a total failure of the authorities. When supervision fails, workplaces turn into lawless zones. Sweden must start pursuing the perpetrators who exploit people, instead of casting suspicion on the victims.
Explained
Labor exploitation in the labor market means that an employer takes advantage of someone's difficult situation to force unreasonable working conditions and extremely low wages.